Ctt fam4 “HE LEADETH ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS.” • By the still waters lead me, for I thirst, And my oierheated brow I fain would lave And 0 permit me, Holy Shepherd, ;I'.o see thy face reflected from the wave mine own, that so m soul mav kn ow These are the sources whence all heliliugs flow 11 lily the still waters lead me lam faint Ant With my long journeyingough tb thre,. , And my white robes have caught roa place, I fainwould hide from the revv;ol .0 Saviour I can the re : t t rt Strewn <i ; the, d, 'Tie_ unknown; 4 be thee. THE MORAVIANS USED TO MARRY. PROM THE NEW BOOK "MARRYING BY LOT." It caused no little sensation throughout the whole of that quiet Moravian settle ment, especially among the Sisterhood, when it was announced that wives had to be provided for five missionaries, besides two lay resident Brethren. No marriage had been solemnized in the place since the commencement of the war; for the Society, with their characteristic prudence, discour aged matrimony in such troublous times, unless contracted under circumstances which perfectly justified it as necessary. This, together with the unusual number of candi- dates offering, caused more than ordinary excitement upon the subject. Of the latter Brethren, one was the war den of the congregation, while the other, the only store-keeper allowed in the place. These two offices were frequently held by the same individual; but, on account of the onerous duties of the former in this place, there was this division of labor. In those days of the Church, the brotherl feeling prevalent in the Society did not permit more of them to conduct any kind of business in any of their settlements, than could readily find a support from - it-and no competition was allowed, lest it might produce unplea sant results. Three of the missionaries had arrived in the settlement, while the other two, not being able conveniently to leave their sta tions, requested their partners to be sent to them. , ,- This lailit'arrangement very much aston ished Elsie. "Surely, Rosalie ; yon must-manage (tit ferently in such eases than with the others, since it cannot be possible you should be able to know how to select for such individ uals, more especially if they are,not person ally known to any of your Conference, and are strangers to most of the rest, of you." " These cases are only stronger exemplifi cations of our childlike faith and confidence in our Lord," sheanswered; "and our Bre thren who make Such an application, fully resign themselves to this_ peculiar way of ascertaining His holy will, and are prepared to follow implicitly what they suppose to be heavenly direction. Hence they do not reserve to themselves the right of refusing any S t stet 'Who is proposed—and thopropo- . oT course,, is first submitted to the Sister. The 'Conference proceed in such cases some*hat differently from the usual manner. They make a question to tomer tain whether the Saviour approves of such a Sister for this or that Brother." ," Well! are_ your Sisters found equally willing to consent to this arrangement ?" " T 1147 pn are «Fji tkow do.,yoprobeed,fartherr "The Sister who is chosen'is immediately informed of the4ooBlon. Sho,is not bound, however, to.Secept it, butis taught to con sider it a solemn call from God, to try her self before Him. She seeks by prayer to know the .;Divine will, and then acts accord ing to the impressions she receives." " But what a wonderful degree of faith and.resolution it must require to enable a delicate, sensitive woman to go thus forth to wed , a, stranger, whom perhaps after all she cannot like." " The same is the case, you know, with royal marriages," replied Rosalie, "the only particular difference between the two, being rank, station, position, and wealth in, the one;, and self-denial, poverty, with, perhaps, suffering in the other." "But yet their situations are not so simi lar as you represent, methinks," continued Elsie; "'for, it 1 understand you, the Breth ren who are thus supplied with wives, have sometimes no knowledge whatever, even of the names, of their chosen ,partners, until they appearh6fore them; whereas, on the contrary, the other party not only know of theirs, but themselves solicit the alliance." "I grant I did not take this view-of the matter when . I.st,oke. And yet.our Sisters are asked, and that, too, -by a Monarch greater than an, earthly potentate,—One who has loved us with an everlasting love; and, impelled by its sacred impulses, we feel bound 'obediently to submit to our Sa viour's leading—to throw off all our natural timidity, and readily, cheerfully, to sacrifice every vivito, personal feeling—and we enter upon our calling sustained with His support and blessing." Among the single Sisterhood, especially the junideportion ofthern, notwithstanding their apparent efforts to the contrary, it di rectly became evidently_ manifest, that these contemplated marriages were a subject of intense interest. It was attended, however, with this pecaliari ty--that thebeart of each _ - --- .Mate for her ofsoitfhessieo-mooa,idas dfoidr ,rr' companions; not Tr. most inter though every one wAS the greatest amount tu herself, anii•atio . n ifi the matter. eosfpd in herself, cosentimenti they generally But , ner h a pp,re a wholesome fellowship of ente i a i n , sensibilities, if I may so ex iaosultig irom the peculiarities of 4 0 ..41 and personal character of their l t ,,cy. It' "allowed no jealous rivalry wag tilqiiii; yet their hearts throbbed with. the Same feelings, and thrilled with kindred emotions of anxious expectancy. The day but two preceding the eventful bfie when these marriages were to be brought before the Conference, was the Sab bath day. The whole of the Sisterhood were in their appointed seats at church at all the services —thus giving the Brethren whose fates would probably be linked with some of that loving company, an opportunity of seeing them. The rule of the Society, forbidding to the young people even the casual glance to the opposite side of the church, was not on this -day enforced, simply because it could not be. Each party seemed to take advan tage of this rare liberty, and it is a question which did it the most. Certainly the Breth ren took a more extensive range, while the gaze of the Sisterhood was almost concen trated upon the present candidates for mat rimony among their dear Brethren. There they sat, all the youthful maidens of that Moravian Sisters' House, arrayed in their most becoming attire, to be looked at, and inquired of, by the expectant bride grooms—each of whom bad one or two friends beside him to answer the interroga tories he chose to make concerning any par ticular Sister. be done 1 has laid to be run is stayed. l I stand bright land. istian .Register. And now - , for the space of the brief inter val to this important pending event, the ex citement visibly increased. What addedho this feeling, was the discovery that one or two of these dear Brethren were more than usually desirable. The eldress of the single Sisterhood, dur ing this period, was a personage of very great importance in the place; for she pre pared the list of Sisters, and much reliance was placed upon her judgment in the selec tion, as well as the opinion she expressed of each of them and their suitability for the partners proposed to them. Some of the interested sought now to propitiate her fa vor. Conspicups among that group of candi dates for matrimonial felicity was Annie Dohlman, now twenty-eight years of age. she possessed some good qualities, but other very bad ones—being a tattler, busy-body, and deceptive—disposed to scatter the fire, brands of mischief among her associates, with whom she mingled as the only black sheep. Of course she had few friends. This Sister was one of those spinsters who re main single from necessity, and not from choice. She was exceedingly anxious to be married. Suddenly, ,a change came over her - 13111,-"IVAIS- motatreorphliSed-talio a kind and amiable woman—so affectionate and considerate to her companions—so pious and devout in her religious duties, and so filially attentive to her dear eldress. In appearance, she was rather fine-look ing, of a good figure, dressed neatly, and possessed a very loud, clear voice. She now indulged the hope, that among so many chances, she would certainly have an op portunity to get .a husband. She desired to be the wife of a missionary, and to commend herself to these dear Brethren. She used her vocal powers to her best ability—ap peared devotedly pious—spoke in laudatory terms of the Missionary life, and her hope to be called to that service. But although, perhaps, she might have been sincere when she - thus talked, her conduct was, at -the same time, as - increase the prejudice against her. But • loudly, on that memorable Sabbath, did she raise her voice ; to sing her way into favorable notice. The elderess a very sagacious old lady, saw through her manoeuvres, and only quietly smiled. The important time at length arrived when all these marriages were ,to_ ,he ar ranged. That of missionaries, and others holding official situations among the Moravians, re quired the sanction of the Unity's Elders' Conference, or of one of the Provincial Help ers' Conferences, which convened in this set tlement for that purpose. The elderesses of the Sisters were both present—the single Sisters' elderess bring ing with her the list she had made, which was presented to the presiding officer. After mature deliberation, and fervent prayer for spiritual guidance, reverently and solemnly they proceeded to propose part ners for their dear missionary Brethren. These did not allow themselves to have any preference for any particular Sister; the se lection of their companions for life being left entirely to the decision of the Church. Susan Stoltz and Mary Weiss were drawn, and accepted by two of the missionaries then in the place, while Sophy Dohlmari and Christiana Huber were the chosen brides of the absentees. The other missionary, three or four years before, had been to this Conference upon the same errand, when he desired• very much, to propose for Rosalie Steinberg. Being.something of a naturalist, he fancied they possessed kindred minds. But her opinion did not coincide with his. She ac cidentally heard his intention to ask fbr her, but through the influence of her father pre vented it from being tried by the "`lot." Afterwards, he proposed, successively for several others of the Sisters, who either re fused him or were negatived by the "lot"' —so that he was to g.) to his field of labor unblessed with a helpmate. Dis satisfied in being thus thwarted in his wishes, the unhappy and unfortunate man now desired them to try it again—yet, with no better success; and, after several fail ures, he withdraw < his name, resolved to make the same application in another Set- R ic y; PRESBYTERIAN THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1863. THE AIM tlement—fora bachelor he was determined not to be any longer, if he could help it. In truth, though in many respects a wor thy man, he had spoken so foolishly and im prudently in the place, of the manner he meant to manage his wife, as to render him so very unpopular among the Sisterhood, that those who were asked could not be in duced to marry him. However, his words proved to be nothing more than idle talk— for when he at last succeeded in obtaining this long-sought treasure, never was a man more thoroughly under petticoat govern ment than he—ay, and I am told appeared to like it well too, being, he said, "superla tively happy." But lam anticipating and must return to where I left off in my story. It was early in the evening of the day subsequent to the preceding occurrence. The younger portion of the Sisters were all assembled in their usual apartment, either engaged in sewing, knitting or in other use ful occupation. The journals of some of their missionaries, which had been sent for their perusal, were just being read by one of their senior associates, when the door softly opened and the confidential attendant of their elderess quietly came in. Expeeta tioa being on tiptoe, and the Sisterhood knowing her errand, no sooner, did they perceive her than an excitement was direct ly visible upon the countenances: of all that gathered band. She paused a moment, then smiled— " What you are reading is really •very in teresting," said she; "don't you. think so, my dear Susan Stoltz ?" looking significant ly at, her as she spoke. • • Susan replied by simply saying "yes , ;' then immediately rose and left the room.. By and by the same , messenger returned, walked up to Mary Weiss, and while appar ently looking at her work whispered some thing in her ear, when she too Vetired ; af terwards again, twice did this little woman re-enter in like manner, to summon, the other two chosen brides. Each of these maidens were first very af fectionately greeted by their elderess; next invited to `a 'seat—then told that by the di rection of our Lord she was commissioned; to propose Brother (mentioning t his name)' to be het husband ; adding, that it W'as a. high honor to be called. to serve the Saviour —and• in giving her band to a servant of the Church she would be enabled to do so in a very efficient manner; that She sin cerely hoped, and prayed, if she consented to this proposal, she would earhestly, seek for Divine, support. and assistance, to enable her faithfully, to discharge all the, dutiei appertaining to it. She recommended to each of them to make, the matter a subject of frequent fervent prayer, and not to come to a decision without the `mit serious reflec tion; some time being allowed them to re solve the . proposition. In. the Meanwhile thcy weyeinformed of the duties required Pf them; how they would •be situated at their , respective stations, and whatever was knoWn of the character"and disposition of thOftroffete,d. husbands.. _ The following Sabbath not any of therie chOben Sisters had as yet 'given het decision: The congregation, assembled, as was their, wont, in church ; among them the drawers and the drawn in that matrimonial lottery; no tnarvel again there were wandering eyes, and beating hearts which' throbbed with peculiar with the grosser ones of an earth-born love, but kindled from the altElr of religious faith, and gloWing with intense devotion to God. The evening succeeding this, there was a cluitering around that little band of ohosen bri. l .les; when with much emotion, one and all Of these devoted ones solemnly declared their determination of accepting their Prof- . fered destiny, and were happyin the pros pe4t of being usefully employed in.the ser vi6 of their dear Lord and Master: , • This had already-been communicated by their elderess to the Conference, who im mediately sent the intelligence to the bride: grooms elect. oon afterwards came the, betrothal ;' *hen in presence of the Conference their elderess, and mutual friends, the.,,parties, were solemnly pledged' to their :destined partners, and' each . gave her rightlhandpie cessively to the different`members of the Board a t ken of their having con i secrated themselvelf to their sacred work. Then a prayer, especially applicable for the occa slop, was made, followed by an appropriate hymn. Refreshments succeededt •After partaking of these, the newlybetrothed re ceived the bleqsing and congratulations of the whale "assembly. This meeting was generally the introduc tory interview between thasc who had in such a peculiar manner plighted their faith to each other. A short season only, com monly not' more than a week, for further acquaintance, usually intervened ere they Were married, during which interval both' pit:Nes were obliged by their rules to be so guarded in "their conduct, that it must have been painfully embarrassing, and surely it could scarcely be denominated a courtship. Such, in brief, I believe to be a•true and unvarnished history of the Whole course of procedure forinerly adopted by the Primitive Moravians, in settling their matrimonial destinies. It hap been the theme of many an idle jest,—often excited the speculation of the curious; and been a marvel to a wondering world ; giving, at the same' time; , a, degree of., romantic interest to the people them selves who practised it. I wish to speak of it with, becoming rev erence. 'I admit that it appears singularly unnatural to the general mind to marry thus ; but, be it•remembered that most of these devoted people possessed a simple, child-like, - confiding faith which enabled them, in an astonishihg manner, to crush their own,wills and desires; aed to ,rely entirely upon Divine direction in every event of their lives. • • There , were; cases, too, and they not I UTh fOqttently: happened, I have bden infOrmed, where ; - if' the- individuals concerned had consulted in the usual manner, they would have made the same choice as the " lot" de cided ; but not so with regard to all the maidens of whom I have been writing; nevertheless, neither of them had any fears or misgivings about their fitness for each other, nor had a doubt of their future hap piness. They were willing to shelter them selves under the canopy of domestic and social love, without deeming it necessary to realize much more than an ideal impression of the nature of this sentiment. They considered their marriages as being made in heaven,—and surely love, in its purest state, would necessarily follow in a connection thus appointed. Hence they could not only calmly and trustingly con sent to a union thus formed, but could wil lingly relinquish all other ties of kindred arid association, and accompany their part ners to a distant land. Yea, and two of their numbers had not even seen their cho sen companions for life. Hence they could not possibly entertain for them a stronger feeling than respect, with perhaps a large share of that sympathizing interest which I have mentioned as so prominently char acteristic of the Moravian community in the primitive times of their Church. One of these brides, Sophy Dohlman, left a fond and widowed mother, who would then be bereft of all her children, every one being employed in the missionary field. She resigned them cheerfully, because of the work theywexe to be engaged in. And now, when age and feebleness were come upon her, she would be a childless mother. This good woman was but one of many ex amples which might be quoted of the self te,acrificipg, selOenying spirit which then prevailed among,the Moravians. mediately after the marriages of the missionaries were decided, the other Con ference met to choose mates for the warden 'and store-keeper. The same, solemnities were observed as on the previous occasion. The "lot" was first used in behalf of the former,Brother. He selected _Rosalie Stein berg, but the " lot" drew a- negative. Of this he was immediate* informed. He re ,gretted it very much, as he very highly es teemed her. He then mentioned Wilhel mina Leitner. To this some objection was made, on account of her tender age, and the nrecent„ affair with Lieutenant Morris. But the warden • still. desiring, it, she, was proposed, and the "lotP)decided in the affir mative. Her parents were pleased with this pro poSal, but, pleaded , her youth as a reason forrefusing, refusing thelr,consent to,an immediate mar riage,—besideS, they urged the, necessity of nioretime to eradicate the impressions of her previous attachment. They were both well Acquainted with the warden, whose ex cellent ,character they appreciated; and considering him' a very suitable match for their only child,,resolved that if he would consent.to wait awhile, they would ,then Wil lingly bestow her on him, provided Wilhel mina was. not 'averse to it. To this the warden, agreed. ' - The " - rotr, — Aeclared in favor of Catharine Englehs,rt tor the store-keeper. She was e very, ainiable and deserving young Sister, of whom her, elderess, and all who knew her, spoke favorably. But this Brother, though he had seen her among the Sisterhood, was so slightly acquainted with her appearance that he could not distinguish her at all from the pthers. However, after some inquiries, and, an opportunity to, notice her in particu, lar, he returned a favorable answer. The, proposal wasthen submitted to her. It was an, excellent offer to the poor girl, and, after little hesitation, she accepted it. These triple marriages were soon after all solemnized. In the celebration of their marriages, the primitive Moraviaris were as , peculiar as in their preliminary arrangements; but they didUot all observe eiactly the same cere inonial. I am speaking now of the way they were o)Mlucted in their- settlements, where, shut out from the rest of the world and with all their usual officials about them, they could and did manage their affairs, just as they•pleased. ceremony always took place in el j ur4i, before - Cho whole congregation. The brides were dressed with scrupulous neat ness. When their toilet was completed, these'Maidenswere received by their elder ess, who took them to the elderess of their !married Sisters,'to whom she formally de livered them. This lady gave them a kind ly greeting, and, at the given time,,conduc tedeach of them separately into the church, where simultaneously- their intended hus band was escorted by the elder of the same choir. 'Here the congregation and minister had previously assembled; the respective friends of the' parties occupying the most prothinent situations in the front. Their entrance was announced by the organ .and violin, together with various wind instruments, sounding forth what might be termed a religious epithalamium. Just before the table fronting the pulpit a sufficient number of chairs were, placed for the different couples„ whither they were led and seated—the brides, on the one side, the grooms on the other—while the brides-elect sat together at the head of the front bench, directly next the wedding group. The officiating clergyman gave out a hymn. Afterwards he first addressed the assembly, and- then these couples. This done, the following verse, or another of a like, import, was sung antiphonically : All. " Thee, God of love and peace; We magnify and praise, Jesus, who on the cross Didst bleed and die for us : Sisters. In thy salvation we rejoice, Brethren. And give Thee praise , with heart and All. Conscious that all the happiness. We in the married state possess, Flows solely, gracious Lord, from Thee • " ' For this Thy, name we glorif3 s . Amen." , On the singing of thelaet line, •the min ister slowly left his plaep,:and advancedto ward's 1:M •' marrying Varty,--the elder . and elderess of the married people doing the same. The latter had with her a small par cel neatly put up in white paper, which, when she neared the brides, she carefully opened. It contained some bright blue rib bon. Hereupon the minister asked them the usual questions; afterwards he joined the hands of the respective parties. Then the elderess herself untied the ribbon of the caps of her young Sisters (they always wore caps in church,) when the pink ribbon of maidenhood was exchanged for the blue, one of matrimony. The elder and elderess gave the kiss of peace, the former to the grooms and the latter to their brides; after which the minister blessed the newly-wed ded, commending them and the lone brider of the distant missionaries to the prayera of the whole assembly. Then this hymn, or a similar one, was sung : " Since thou, 0 Lord, with thine own hand Bast tied our sacred marriage band, Grant that thy dying love may be The source of our felicity. Our souls and bodies, Lamb of God, - Besprinkle with thy precious blood; Subdue. what's carnal, by thy death, That Godly we may live by faith. With mouth and hand our choir to thee Vows homage and ,fidelity, Till we our heavenly home shall gain: Thereto, Lord Jesus, say Amen." And now this service was over. ,Con gratulatiors followed, and then the ,congre gatio'n scattered. After,wards a more private meeting was held, where only the relatives and friends of the parties were present, to gether with all the, members of the • cifer epee ; when wine and other refres is were served, and friendly conve ,ins were for a period indulged in. A few days only elapsed after this, when the missionaries departed for their fields of labor, the two brides-elect accompaqtrig the newly married couples to the West In dies, where they were, in due time, united to their stranger , briclegrpoms. , THE TWO ARMIES. There are two little armies, On the world's great battle-field; Though unnoted oft by mortals, • To the eyes of God revealed. Though we hear no shouts of triumph,:.:. Though Though we bear no fearful fray,. Though little armies battle - For the Right; or Wrong, each day; The Right, or -Wiong, each, day. They m a st fight; no ground is neutral; And watch the sides they take ; • One little army chooses To fight for.truth's dear sake; The banner floating over it Rises grandly up to view; And I read this glorious motto : "Fighting for the Good and True; The Beautiful and True." How brave that little army: What a halo Ver it shines! And even angels welcoine. Every soldier, to its lines; Bow sweet the stirring music Of the trampfof little feet, That in God's holy highway, Swift onward, upward beat; Onward, and upward, beat. Alas I the other army, 'Neath a gloomy flag unfurled, Marches with the ranks of evil ; Treads the dark ways of the world; Not for the True ancl,l3eautiful, Does it grow brave and strong ; For lo ! upon its banner I read, "Fighting - for the Wrong; Old, surly-hearted wrong." THE KEEPING OF THE HEART. In praying' against sins of the lips, let us in every case go to the root of the mischief, and pray against those sins of the heart, out of which these others spring; else we may make 'more accomplished hyprocrites of ourselves, but not more perfect Chris tians. We pray that we may not speak un charitably ; but oh I let us pray that we may not think uncharitably;that the law of love may not be on.our lips' only, but in our hearts. There are some cautious persons , who exercise much tielf-restraint upon them selves in net speakang,ankindly of others i t because they feel that: in so doing. they should blemish their Christian'.reputation but they make up for it by hard, cruel, un charitable thoughts, which they keep' to themselves in the deep of their hearts. We pray that we may not speak prou4 , things, with our lips,; but we confine durselSes to this, it may really be only a prayer that we; may not ourselves come to any open shame, lowering ourselves by vaunting, vain-glor ious speeches in the estimation of others. But he who is rightly praying, to be deliver ed from the lips of pride, as sinful before God, will at the same time make his prayer to be delivered from the heart of pride. His desire will not be, to seem humble,. whicnis only a subtler pride, but -to be- humble ; to be a man of humble speech, because heis first a man of humble thoughts; to be clothed with the garment of humility within as well as without. So, again, every Christian well needs hate impure lips : he will pray that at no unguarded moment of his life any word may escape him, growing out of the cor ruption which is in the world through lust. But what is this unlese he is also asking for a clean heart ? What were he who should be content if only his words, were pure words, and should at the same time enter tain, or even invite, thoughts and imagina tions of impurity and uneleanness ? what, indeed, but a whited sepulchre, decent in deed and fair without, but full of all filth and rottenness within ? Seek, then, I be seech you, to make thorough work here. Strive, pray, cry, that in this, as in every thing else, the root of the -matter may be in you. If you pray, "Set a watch, 0 Lord, at the door of my lips," or, "Deliver me, 0 God from lying lips and a deceitful ton gue," rememberAhat.behind each and every such prayer there eho,uld lie,another prayer, which is this, ";Make- me- a-,elean heart, 0 God, and , renew a right jSpirit within me." - --:2'71..e Little, tiorporal.
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